Improved railway rail-splice



amenant.

JOHN C. RUPKPfOF-NEWIARK, DELAWARE.

Letters Patent No. 93,909, dated August 17, 1869.

IMPROVED RAILWAY RAIL-SPLICE.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of thesame.

To all wh om it may concern Be it knorm that I, JOH'N C. RBPP, f Newark,in the county of New Castle, and State of Delaware, have invented a newand useful Improvement in Railroad-- Ghairs; an'd I do hereby declarethe following to lbey a full, clear, and exact description of the samesuicient to enable others skilledin the art to which my inventionappertains, to make and use the y same,- reference being had to theaecolnpanyingdrawing, forming part of this speciation, in which- Figurel is a transverse vertical section.

Figure 2 is a side elevation.

Figures 3 and 4 are detailed views, to be hereinafter 'more fullyreferred to.

,My invention consists in certain improvements in railroadpliairs,`hereinafter more fully set forth.

In the drawings- A A represent the contiguous ends of two. rails,resting onthe base-plate B, having angular flanges a b at the sides.

OC are the side-supports, which rit up under the head of the rail, andunder the overhanging parts b of the side-anges a. b. Y

These supports C are inade tapering; that is, larger at one end fthan attheother. '.lhey are driven in at the sides of the jointfrom oppositedirections, so as to wedge in and bind the rails tightly.

The fastening-bolts D D, pass through the web of the rail, and throughthe slots c c in the side-supports' C C. On the ends opposite the headsd, are formed screw-threads.

E E are washers, placed on the bolts I).

These washers are formed with points e e, which, by Contact with orslight-ly penetrating the supports C, prevent the washersfrom turning.

A t' is a curvedispring, secured at one'end to the outer face of thewasher E, and having at its free end aprojeotion which acts asa pawl,and engages with ratohetteethformed on the inner face of anut, F,screwed on to the bolts D, againstthe washers E.

This spring allows the nut to be screwed up, but prevents it fromjarring loose.

To release the spring-from' engagement with the teeth, a key or somesmall instrument must be insert- 1 ed to press back the pawl, while thenut is being unsorewed.

The slots c, through which the fastening-bolts pass, permit the taperingsupports to be driven up when they become loose.

The parts G may be spiked to the ties, if desired.

I 'am aware of the patent granted to J. \V. Draper, dated September 4,1866, for improvements in railroad-eh airs, which somewhat resemble theseveral feat-l 'ures of my invention, and this invention I herebydisclaim; but

What I do claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Let-tersPatent, is

The tapering side-supports G O, provided with the elongated slots c c,by `means of which said supports can be driven up Vor tightened withoutremoving the bolts D, in combination with the base-plate B, havingangular flanges a l), at the sides, all arranged, oonlstructeil, an`doperated in the manneland for the pur-A pose set forth.

The above signedl by me, this"2'th` day of March,

JOHN o. RUPP.

[Witnesses:

J ons Wrannnsnnur, PHIL. F. LAMnR.

